Gordo feels self-conscious when he sees Ethan Craft and other boys growing up sooner than he is. He tries to be "manly" by trying to do manly things but in the end he decides to have a Bar Mitzvah which would initiate him into adult life. Meanwhile, fed up with all the complaints about Matt's pranks, Jo decides to hand over the task of disciplining the kids to Sam

Gordo is feeling a little left behind: the girls are going crazy over Ethan Craft, who gets a new dirtbike for his 14th birthday, just like all the "men" in his family have. Even Larry Tudgeman is shaving now, though not very well! Gordo now wishes he had celebrated his bar mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony performed on the 13th birthday that marks the passage of a boy into manhood. Concerned about what makes a boy a man, Gordo takes his camera interviews many different men to get their experiences. He tries several different "manly" things that they mentioned, even going to a tattoo parlor! But he decides they are not for him. He asks his parents why they didn't insist on a bar mitzvah for him. They tell him they trusted his judgment then, and that at the time he didn't think it was necessary or important. But Gordo has made up his mind now--he wants to be bar mitzvahed. The ceremony is held with all his family and friends in attendance.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Robinson brings home Matt after she's caught him stealing oranges from her tree once again. When his dad Sam doesn't seem to think he deserves much punishment, Jo McGuire is outraged. She tells Sam she's going on strike--disciplining the kids will be his problem. Sam doesn't prove to be up to the task as a slew of neighbors complain about Matt's bad behavior. But later Matt tells his Mom that his dad doesn't get it: he punishes him for accidental mistakes he made, yet lets him get away with the bigger stuff. Matt asks his mom to take over handing out his punishment again.
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